Indian Foreign Secretary: I Mentioned H-1Bs to Hillary Clinton, But Nothing I Can Do

If the H-1B skilled worker program is controversial here in the
USA, people in India have been apoplectic. Some right-wing Indian
groups have gone as far as threatening a boycott US goods in
retaliation for
new curbs on the program.

IndianForeign Secretary Shiv
Shankar Menon, in the country to discuss US-India ties with his
counterpart, Hillary Clinton, is promising Indian media outlets
he brought up the issue. But he didn't push it.

We're glad to know the grown-ups
were focusing on more important issues, like terrorism, Pakistan,
and Afghanistan.

The
Hindu: "This (H-1B) is not an
issue that India and the US negotiate or discuss. This is not
part of a bilateral agenda and it can't be by definition,"
Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon told reporters at the end of
his visit here for a first dialogue with the new US officials
under President Barack Obama's administration.

"H-1B visas were
mentioned; yes in the conversations. We discussed the situation.
We were told what the present policy is and we spoke about
it. The rest is for the US to decide about what to do
about it. Issue of US visas is America's sovereign function," he
said.

Mr. Menon was asked about the
restrictions imposed on H-1B visa holders in the stimulus
package. "It is not for us to tell the US what their policy is
going to be or vice versa.

But when it effects our
nationals, we mention to them what we think about it."